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4,480 results for “hybrid”

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dryad32/100

Data from: The last bastion? X chromosome genotyping of Anopheles gambiae species pair males from a hybrid zone reveals complex recombination within the major candidate 'genomic island of speciation'

Speciation with gene flow may be aided by reduced recombination helping to build linkage between genes involved in the early stages of reproductive isolation. Reduced recombination on chromosome X has been implicated in speciation within the Anopheles gambiae complex, species of which represent the major Afrotropical malaria vectors. The most recently diverged, morphologically indistinguishable, species pair, A. gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii, ubiquitously displays a 'genomic island of divergence' spanning over 4 Mb from chromosome X centromere, which represents a particularly promising candidate region for reproductive isolation genes, in addition to containing the diagnostic markers used to distinguish the species. Very low recombination makes the island intractable for experimental recombination studies, but an extreme hybrid zone in Guinea Bissau offers the opportunity for natural investigation of X-island recombination. SNP analysis of chromosome X hemizygous males revealed: (i) strong divergence in the X-island despite a lack of autosomal divergence; (ii) individuals with multiple-recombinant genotypes, including likely double crossovers and localized gene conversion; (iii) recombination-driven discontinuity both within and between the molecular species markers, suggesting that the utility of the diagnostics is undermined under high hybridization. The largely, but incompletely protected nature of the X centromeric genomic island is consistent with a primary candidate area for accumulation of adaptive variants driving speciation with gene flow, while permitting some selective shuffling and removal of genetic variation.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: A rare exception to Haldane's rule: Are X chromosomes key to hybrid incompatibilities?

The prevalence of Haldane's rule suggests that sex chromosomes commonly have a key role in reproductive barriers and speciation. However, the majority of research on Haldane's rule has been conducted in species with conventional sex determination systems (XY and ZW) and exceptions to the rule have been understudied. Here we test the role of X-linked incompatibilities in a rare exception to Haldane's rule for female sterility in field cricket sister species (Teleogryllus oceanicus and T. commodus). Both have an XO sex determination system. Using three generations of crosses, we introgressed X chromosomes from each species onto different, mixed genomic backgrounds to test predictions about the fertility and viability of each cross type. We predicted that females with two different species X chromosomes would suffer reduced fertility and viability compared with females with two parental X chromosomes. However, we found no strong support for such X-linked incompatibilities. Our results preclude X–X incompatibilities and instead support an interchromosomal epistatic basis to hybrid female sterility. We discuss the broader implications of these findings, principally whether deviations from Haldane's rule might be more prevalent in species without dimorphic sex chromosomes.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Multispecies genetic structure and hybridization in the Betula genus across Eurasia

Boreal and cool temperate forests are the major land cover of northern Eurasia, and information about continental-scale genetic structure and past demographic history of forest species is important from an evolutionary perspective and has conservation implications. However, although many population genetic studies of forest tree species have been conducted in Europe or Eastern Asia, continental-scale genetic structure and past demographic history remain poorly known. Here, we focus on the birch genus Betula, which is commonly distributed in boreal and cool temperate forests, and examine 129 populations of two tetraploid and four diploid species collected from Iceland to Japan. All individuals were genotyped at seven to 18 nuclear simple sequence repeats (nSSRs). Pairwise math formula among the six species ranged from 0.285 to 0.903, and genetic differentiation among them was clear. structure analysis suggested that Betula pubescens is an allotetraploid and one of the parental species was Betula pendula. In both species pairs of B. pendula and B. plathyphylla, and B. pubescens and B. ermanii, genetic diversity was highest in central Siberia. A hybrid zone was detected around Lake Baikal for eastern and western species pairs regardless of ploidy level. Approximate Bayesian computation suggested that the divergence of B. pendula and B. platyphylla occurred around the beginning of the last ice age (36 300 years BP, 95% CI: 15 330–92 700) and hybridization between them was inferred to have occurred after the last glacial maximum (1614 years BP, 95% CI: 561–4710), with B. pendula providing a higher contribution to hybrids.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Gas exchange and leaf anatomy of a C3-CAM hybrid, Yucca gloriosa (Asparagaceae)

While the majority of plants use the typical C3 carbon metabolic pathway, ~6% of angiosperms have adapted to carbon limitation as a result of water stress by employing a modified form of photosynthesis known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). CAM plants concentrate carbon in the cells by temporally separating atmospheric carbon acquisition from fixation into carbohydrates. CAM has been studied for decades, but the evolutionary progression from C3 to CAM remains obscure. In order to better understand the morphological and physiological characteristics associated with CAM photosynthesis, phenotypic variation was assessed in Yucca aloifolia, a CAM species, Yucca filamentosa, a C3 species, and Yucca gloriosa, a hybrid species derived from these two yuccas exhibiting intermediate C3–CAM characteristics. Gas exchange, titratable leaf acidity, and leaf anatomical traits of all three species were assayed in a common garden under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Yucca gloriosa showed intermediate phenotypes for nearly all traits measured, including the ability to acquire carbon at night. Using the variation found among individuals of all three species, correlations between traits were assessed to better understand how leaf anatomy and CAM physiology are related. Yucca gloriosa may be constrained by a number of traits which prevent it from using CAM to as high a degree as Y. aloifolia. The intermediate nature of Y. gloriosa makes it a promising system in which to study the evolution of CAM.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Transgenerational selection driven by divergent ecological impacts of hybridizing lineages

Dynamic interactions between ecological conditions and the phenotypic composition of populations likely play an important role in evolution, but the direction and strength of these feedbacks remain difficult to characterize. We investigated these dynamics across two generations of threespine sticklebacks from two evolutionary lineages undergoing secondary contact and hybridization. Independently manipulating the density and lineage of adults in experimental mesocosms led to contrasting ecosystem conditions with strong effects on total survival in a subsequent generation of juveniles. Ecosystem modifications by adults also varied the strength of selection on competing hybrid and non-hybrid juveniles. This variation in selection indicated (1) a negative eco-evolutionary feedback driven by lineage-specific resource depletion and dependence and (2) a large performance advantage of hybrid juveniles in depleted environments. This work illustrates the importance of interactions between phenotype, population density and the environment in shaping selection and evolutionary trajectories, especially in the context of range expansion with secondary contact and hybridization.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Genetic analysis of an ephemeral intraspecific hybrid zone in the hypervariable tree, Metrosideros polymorpha, on Hawai'i Island

Intraspecific hybrid zones involving long-lived woody species are rare and can provide insights into the genetic basis of early-diverging traits in speciation. Within the landscape-dominant Hawaiian tree, Metrosideros polymorpha, are morphologically distinct successional varieties, incana and glaberrima, that dominate new and old lava flows, respectively, below 1200 me on volcanically active Hawai'i Island, with var. glaberrima also extending to higher elevations and bogs. Here, we use morphological measurements on 86 adult trees to document the presence of an incana-glaberrima hybrid zone on the 1855 Mauna Loa lava flow on east Hawai'i Island and parent-offspring analysis of 1311 greenhouse seedlings from 71 crosses involving 72 adults to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations among vegetative traits. Both the variation in adult leaf pubescence at the site and the consistency between adult and offspring phenotypes suggest the presence of two hybrid classes, F1s and var. incana backcrosses, as would be expected on a relatively young lava flow. Nine nuclear microsatellite loci failed to distinguish parental and hybrid genotypes. All four leaf traits examined showed an additive genetic basis with moderate to strong heritabilities, and genetic correlations were stronger for the more range-restricted var. incana. The differences between varieties in trait values, heritabilities and genetic correlations, coupled with high genetic variation within but low genetic variation between varieties, are consistent with a multi-million-year history of alternating periods of disruptive selection in contrasting environments and admixture in ephemeral hybrid zones. Finally, the contrasting genetic architectures suggest different evolutionary trajectories of leaf traits in these forms.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Ancient hybrid origin of the eastern wolf not yet off the table: a comment on Rutledge et al.

A recent study of North American canids by Rutledge et al. (Biol. Lett. 11, 20150303 (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2015.0303)) refutes the hypothesized hybrid origin of the eastern wolf (EW) based on genomic evidence against very recent hybridization. However, the analyses do not rule out the possibility of more ancient hybridization. Claims to have resolved the evolutionary origin of the EW are therefore inappropriate. Importantly, though, we plead that uncertainty about the ancient history of the taxon should not affect current conservation policy.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →
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Data from: Growth gains from selective breeding in a spruce hybrid zone do not compromise local adaptation to climate

Hybrid zones contain extensive standing genetic variation that facilitates rapid responses to selection. The Picea glauca x P. engelmannii hybrid zone in western Canada is the focus of tree breeding programs that annually produce ~90 million reforestation seedlings. Understanding the direct and indirect effects of selective breeding on adaptive variation is necessary to implement assisted gene flow polices in Alberta and British Columbia that match these seedlings with future climates. We decomposed relationships among hybrid ancestry, adaptive traits and climate to understand the implications of selective breeding for climate adaptations and assisted gene flow strategies. The effects of selection on associations among hybrid index estimated from ~6500 SNPs, adaptive traits, and provenance climates were assessed for ~2400 common garden seedlings. Hybrid index differences between natural and selected seedlings within breeding zones were small in Alberta (average +2%), but larger and more variable in BC (average -7 %, range -24% to +1%), slightly favoring P. glauca ancestry. The average height growth gain of selected seedlings over natural seedlings within breeding zones was 36% (range 12% to 86%). Clines in growth with temperature-related variables were strong, but differed little between selected and natural populations. Seedling hybrid index and growth trait associations with evapotranspiration-related climate variables were stronger in selected than in natural seedlings, indicating possible pre-adaptation to drier future climates. Associations among cold hardiness, hybrid ancestry and cold-related climate variables dominated signals of local adaptation that were preserved in breeding populations. Strong hybrid ancestry-phenotype-climate associations suggest that assisted gene flow will be necessary to match interior spruce breeding populations with shifting future climates. The absence of antagonistic selection responses among traits and maintenance of cold adaptation in selected seedlings suggests breeding populations can be safely redeployed using assisted gene flow prescriptions similar to those of natural populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Molecular and morphological evidence of hybridization between native Ruditapes philippinarum and the introduced Ruditapes form in Japan

Marine aquaculture and stock enhancement are major causes of the introduction of alien species. A good example of such an introduction is the Japanese shortneck clam Ruditapes philippinarum, one of the most important fishery resources in the world. To meet the domestic shortage of R. philippinarum caused by depleted catches, clams were imported to Japan from China and the Korean peninsula. The imported clam is an alien species that has a very similar morphology, and was misidentified as R. philippinarum (hereafter, Ruditapes form). We genotyped 1,186 clams of R. philippinarum and R. form at four microsatellite loci, sequenced mitochondrial DNA (COI gene fragment) of 485 clams, 34 of which were R. variegatus, and measured morphometric and meristic characters of 754 clams from 12 populations in Japan and China, including the Ariake Sea and Tokyo Bay, where large numbers of R. form were released. Our analyses confirmed that R. form was from the genus Ruditapes, and the genetic differentiation between R. philippinarum and R. form was distinct, but small, compared with five bivalve outgroups. However, R. form had distinct shell morphology, especially larger numbers of radial ribs on the shell surface, suggesting that R. form might be a new Ruditapes species or a variation of R. philippinarum that originated from southern China. A genetic affinity of the sample from the Ariake Sea to R. form was found with the intermediate shell morphology and number of radial ribs, and the hybrid proportion was estimated at 51.3 ± 4.6 % in the Ariake Sea.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →
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Data from: Non-random patterns of genetic admixture expose the complex historical hybrid origin of unisexual leaf beetle species in the genus Calligrapha

Many unisexual animal lineages supposedly arose from hybridization. However, support for their putative hybrid origins mostly comes from indirect methodologies, which are rarely confirmatory. Here we provide compelling data indicating that tetraploid unisexual Calligrapha are true genetic mosaics obtained via analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and allelic variation and coalescence times for three single-copy nuclear genes (CPS, HARS, and Wg) in five of six unisexual Calligrapha and a representative sample of bisexual species. Nuclear allelic diversity in unisexuals consistently segregates in the gene pools of at least two but up to three divergent bisexual species, interpreted as putative parentals of interspecific hybridization crosses. Interestingly, their mtDNA diversity derives from an additional yet undiscovered older evolutionary lineage that is possibly the same for all independently originated unisexual species. One possibly extinct species transferred its mtDNA to several evolutionary lineages in a wave of hybridization events during the Pliocene, whereby descendant species retained a polymorphic mtDNA constitution. Recent hybridizations, in the Pleistocene and always involving females with the old introgressed mtDNA, seemingly occurred in the lineages leading to unisexual species, decoupling mtDNA introgression (and inferences derived from these data, such as timing and parentage) from subsequent acquisition of the new reproductive mode. These results illuminate an unexpected complexity in possible routes to animal unisexuality, with implications for the interpretation of ancient unisexuality. If the origin of unisexuality requires a mechanism where (1) hybridization is a necessary but insufficient condition and (2) multiple bouts of hybridization involving more than two divergent lineages are required, then the origins of several classical unisexual systems may have to be reassessed.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →
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Data from: Rise and fall of a hybrid zone: implications for the roles of aggression, mate choice, and secondary succession

Hybridization can be an important evolutionary force by generating new species and influencing evolution of parental species in multiple ways, including introgression and the consequences of hybrid vigor. Determining the ecological processes underlying evolution in hybrid zones is difficult however because it requires examining changes in both genotypic frequencies over time and corresponding ecological information, data that are rarely collected together. Here, we describe genetic and ecological aspects of a hybrid zone between the Eastern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, and the Florida Scrub Lizard, Sceloporus woodi, occurring over at least 23 generations. The hybrid zone, discovered greater than 35 years ago using morphological characters, originally consisted of nearly even proportions of parental species and hybrids. Now, using genetic markers (species-diagnostic mtDNA sites and 6 nDNA microsatellite loci across a total of n = 117 individuals), we confirm not only that hybridization occurred but also that subsequent backcrossing has resulted in highly introgressed hybrids, with many hybrids containing mitochondrial DNA from one species on a nuclear DNA background of the other. Ecological aspects explaining these shifts in genetic composition include female mate choice, changes in habitat associated with secondary succession, and, most strongly, a hierarchy of male territorial advantage—ecological mechanisms likely to be involved in the emergence and disappearance of many animal hybrid zones. Our results suggest that genetic assimilation is not a significant threat to either species and that rather transient hybrid zones such as this may serve to increase genetic diversity and are candidates for causing genetic discordance in phylogeographic analyses.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: Deep mitochondrial introgression and hybridization among ecologically divergent vole species

The completion of speciation is typically difficult to ascertain in rapidly diverging taxa but the amount of hybridization and gene flow in sympatry or parapatry contains important information about the level of reproductive isolation achieved. Here we examined the progress in speciation between the Mediterranean (Microtus duodecimcostatus) and the Lusitanian pine vole (M. lusitanicus) which are part of the most rapid radiation of species known in mammals. These two Iberian pine voles are classified as separate species because of differences in morphology and ecology, but relatively many ambiguous individuals can be found in sympatric conditions. Our phylogenetic analyses of rangewide data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mtDNA) demonstrated high levels of diversity and a basal separation in two parapatric lineages. However, mtDNA affiliation was at odds with morphological classification or geographical distribution of the taxa. In contrast, statistical analyses of microsatellites (nucDNA) showed two clear genetic clusters in allopatry and sympatry generally matching morphological classification. This cytonuclear discordance over a large geographic area suggests historical introgression of mtDNA from M. duodecimcostatus to M. lusitanicus. There was statistical evidence for at least two recent hybrids in the sympatry zone but gene flow is apparently low given clear-cut differences in nucDNA. Our results indicate a relatively advanced speciation process in these Iberian pine voles without fully established reproductive isolation. This situation enables use of combined population genomic and experimental approaches for the separation of patterns and mechanisms in the ongoing explosive diversification of these and other Arvicoline rodents in the future.

opencc-zeroDec 2011View details →
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Data from: Low rates of hybridization between European wildcats and domestic cats in a human-dominated landscape

Hybridization between wild species and their domestic congeners is considered a major concern for species conservation. Genetic integrity of the European wildcat, for instance, is of interest as the species is outnumbered by domestic cats by several orders of magnitude throughout its range. We genotyped 1071 individual wildcat samples obtained from hair traps and roadkills collected across the highly fragmented forests of western central Europe, in Germany and Luxembourg, to assess domestic cat introgression in wildcats in human-dominated landscapes. Analyses using a panel of 75 autosomal SNPs suggested a low hybridization rate, with 3.5 % of wildcat individuals being categorized as F1, F2 or backcrosses to either parental taxon. We report that SNP data appeared to be more consistent than our set of 14 microsatellite markers and that SNPs showed higher accuracy to detect hybrids and their class in simulation analyses and were less affected by underlying population structure. Our results strongly suggest that very high hybridization rates previously reported for central Europe may be partly due to inadequate choice of markers and/or sampling design. Our example documents that a carefully selected SNP panel for hybrid detection may be used as an alternative to commonly applied microsatellite markers, including studies relying on non-invasively collected samples. In addition, our finding of overall low hybridization rates in central European wildcats provides an example of successful wildlife coexistence in human-dominated, fragmented landscapes.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
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Data from: Development of diagnostic microsatellite markers from whole-genome sequences of Ammodramus sparrows for assessing admixture in a hybrid zone

Studies of hybridization and introgression and, in particular, the identification of admixed individuals in natural populations benefit from the use of diagnostic genetic markers that reliably differentiate pure species from each other and their hybrid forms. Such diagnostic markers are often infrequent in the genomes of closely related species, and genomewide data facilitate their discovery. We used whole-genome data from Illumina HiSeqS2000 sequencing of two recently diverged (600,000 years) and hybridizing, avian, sister species, the Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's (A. nelsoni) Sparrow, to develop a suite of diagnostic markers for high-resolution identification of pure and admixed individuals. We compared the microsatellite repeat regions identified in the genomes of the two species and selected a subset of 37 loci that differed between the species in repeat number. We screened these loci on 12 pure individuals of each species and report on the 34 that successfully amplified. From these, we developed a panel of the 12 most diagnostic loci, which we evaluated on 96 individuals, including individuals from both allopatric populations and sympatric individuals from the hybrid zone. Using simulations, we evaluated the power of the marker panel for accurate assignments of individuals to their appropriate pure species and hybrid genotypic classes (F1, F2, and backcrosses). The markers proved highly informative for species discrimination and had high accuracy for classifying admixed individuals into their genotypic classes. These markers will aid future investigations of introgressive hybridization in this system and aid conservation efforts aimed at monitoring and preserving pure species. Our approach is transferable to other study systems consisting of closely related and incipient species.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →
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Data from: Genomic evidence of hybridization between two independent invasions of European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in the Northwest Atlantic

Invasive species have been associated with significant negative impacts in their introduced range often outcompeting native species, yet the long-term evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions are not well understood. Hybridization, either among waves of invasion or between native and introduced populations, could alter the ecological and evolutionary impacts of invasions yet has rarely been studied in marine invasive species. The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) invaded eastern North America twice from northern and southern locations in its native range. Here we examine the frequency of hybridization among these two distinct invasions at locations from New Jersey, USA to Newfoundland, Canada using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq), microsatellite loci, and COI mtDNA sequences. We used Bayesian clustering and hybrid assignment analyses to investigate hybridization between the northern and southern populations. Of the samples analyzed, six locations contained at least one hybrid individual, while two locations were characterized by extensive hybridization, with 95% of individuals collected from Placentia Bay, Newfoundland being hybrids (mostly F2), and 90% of individuals from Kejimkujik, Nova Scotia being classified as hybrids, mostly backcrosses to the northern ecotype. The presence of both F2 hybrids and backcrossed individuals suggests that these hybrids are viable and introgression is occurring between invasions. Our results provide insight into the demographic and evolutionary consequences of hybridization between independent invasions, and will inform the management of green crabs in eastern North America.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Climate, demography, and zoogeography predict introgression thresholds in Salmonid hybrid zones in Rocky Mountain streams

Among the many threats posed by invasions of nonnative species is introgressive hybridization, which can lead to the genomic extinction of native taxa. This phenomenon is regarded as common and perhaps inevitable among native cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout in western North America, despite that these taxa naturally co-occur in some locations. We conducted a synthetic analysis of 13,315 genotyped fish from 558 sites by building logistic regression models using data from geospatial stream databases and from 12 published studies of hybridization to assess whether environmental covariates could explain levels of introgression between westslope cutthroat trout and rainbow trout in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains. A consensus model performed well (AUC, 0.78–0.86; classification success, 72–82%; 10-fold cross validation, 70–82%) and predicted that rainbow trout introgression was significantly associated with warmer water temperatures, larger streams, proximity to warmer habitats and to recent sources of rainbow trout propagules, presence within the historical range of rainbow trout, and locations further east. Assuming that water temperatures will continue to rise in response to climate change and that levels of introgression outside the historical range of rainbow trout will equilibrate with those inside that range, we applied six scenarios across a 55,234-km stream network that forecast 9.5–74.7% declines in the amount of habitat occupied by westslope cutthroat trout populations of conservation value, but not the wholesale loss of such populations. We conclude that introgression between these taxa is predictably related to environmental conditions, many of which can be manipulated to foster largely genetically intact populations of westslope cutthroat trout and help managers prioritize conservation activities.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Metabolic traits of westslope cutthroat, introduced rainbow trout and their hybrids in an ecotonal hybrid zone along an elevation gradient

In the Upper Oldman River, Alberta, introduced non-native hatchery rainbow trout hybridize with native westslope cutthroat trout, resulting in a hybrid swarm. Rainbow trout dominate at low elevations (<1250 m) in the river mainstem, cutthroat in high elevation tributaries (>1400 m), and hybrids are numerically dominant in the mid-elevation range. We hypothesized that metabolism of rainbow trout would exceed that of cutthroat trout, and that the elevation gradient in genetic makeup would be mirrored by a gradient in metabolic traits, with intermediate traits in the hybrid dominated ecotone. Metabolic traits were measured and regressed against the genetic makeup of individuals and elevation. Rainbow trout had higher oxygen consumption rates (OCR), higher white muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and citrate synthase (CS) activity, and higher plasma acetylcholinesterase (AchE) than cutthroat trout. Hybrids had intermediate OCR and AchE, but LDH activity as high as rainbow trout. While hybrid zones are usually modeled as a balance between cross species mating and selection against hybrids, ecotonal hybrid zones, where hybrids proliferate in intermediate habitats and have traits that appear well suited to ecotonal conditions, have been proposed for some plants and animals, and may have important implications for resource management and conservation.

opencc-zeroDec 2010View details →
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Data from: Phylogeny of a cosmopolitan family of morphologically conserved trapdoor spiders (Mygalomorphae, Ctenizidae) using Anchored Hybrid Enrichment, with a description of the family, Halonoproctidae Pocock 1901

The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine genera and 135 species. However, the monophyly of this group has long been questioned on both morphological and molecular grounds. Here, we use Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) to gather hundreds of loci from across the genome for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among the nine genera and test the monophyly of the family. We also reconstruct the possible ancestral ranges of the most inclusive clade recovered. Using AHE, we generate a supermatrix of 565 loci and 115,209 bp for 27 individuals. For the first time, analyses using all nine genera produce results definitively establishing the non-monophyly of Ctenizidae. A lineage formed exclusively by representatives of South African Stasimopus was placed as the sister group to the remaining taxa in the tree, and the Mediterranean Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum were recovered with high support as sister to exemplars of Euctenizidae, Migidae, and Idiopidae. All the remaining genera—Bothriocyrtum, Conothele, Cyclocosmia, Hebestatis, Latouchia, and Ummidia—share a common ancestor. Based on these results, we formally elevate this clade to the level of family. Our results definitively establish both the non-monophyly of the Ctenizidae and non-validity of the subfamilies Ummidiinae and Ctenizinae. In order to establish the placement of the remaining three ctenizid genera, Cteniza, Cyrtocarenum, and Stasimopus, thorough analyses within the context of a complete mygalomorph phylogenetic framework are needed. We formally describe the family Halonoproctidae Pocock 1901 and infer that the family's most recent common ancestor was likely distributed in western North America and Asia.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
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Data from: Evidence for past and present hybridization in three Antarctic icefish species provides new perspectives on an evolutionary radiation

Determining the timing, extent, and underlying causes of inter-specific gene exchange during or following speciation is central to understanding species' evolution. Antarctic notothenioid fish, thanks to the acquisition of antifreeze glycoproteins during Oligocene transition to polar conditions, experienced a spectacular radiation to >100 species during Late Miocene cooling events. The impact of recent glacial cycles on this group is poorly known, but alternating warming and cooling periods may have affected species' distributions, promoted ecological divergence into recurrently opening niches, and/or possibly brought allopatric species into contact. Using microsatellite markers and statistical methods including Approximate Bayesian Computation, we investigated genetic differentiation, hybridization and the possible influence of the last glaciation/deglaciation events in three icefish species of the genus Chionodraco. Our results provide strong evidence of contemporary and past introgression by showing that: i) a substantial fraction of contemporary individuals in each species has mixed ancestry; ii) evolutionary scenarios excluding hybridization or including it only in ancient times have small or zero posterior probabilities; iii) the data support a scenario of interspecific gene flow associated with the two most recent interglacial periods. Glacial cycles might therefore have had a profound impact on the genetic composition of Antarctic fauna, as newly available shelf areas during the warmer intervals might have favoured secondary contacts and hybridization between diversified groups. If our findings are confirmed in other notothenioids, they offer new perspectives for understanding evolutionary dynamics of Antarctic fish, and suggest a need for new predictions on the effects of global warming in this group.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: Sharp acoustic boundaries across an altitudinal avian hybrid zone despite asymmetric introgression

Birdsong is a sexually selected trait that could play an important evolutionary role when related taxa come into secondary contact. Many songbird species however learn their songs through copying one or more tutors, which complicates the evolutionary outcome of such contact. Two subspecies of a presumed vocal learner, the grey-breasted wood-wren (Henicorhina leucophrys), replace each other altitudinally across the western slope of the Ecuadorian Andes. These subspecies are morphologically very similar, but show striking differences in their song. We examined variation in acoustic traits and genetic composition across the altitudinal range covered by both subspecies and between two allopatric populations. The acoustic boundary between the subspecies was found to be highly abrupt across a narrow elevational range with virtually no evidence of song convergence. Mixed singing and use of hetero-subspecific song occurred in the contact zone and was biased towards the use of leucophrys song types. Hetero-subspecific song copying by hilaris and not by leucophrys reflected a previously found asymmetric pattern of response to song playback. Using AFLP markers, we detected hybridization in the contact zone and asymmetric introgression in parapatric populations, with more leucophrys alleles present in hilaris populations than vice versa. This pattern may be a trail of introgression due to upslope displacement of leucophrys by hilaris. Our data suggest that song learning may impact speciation and hybridization in contrasting ways at different spatial scales: while learning may speed up population divergence in songs, thereby enhancing assortative mating and reducing gene flow, it may at a local level also lead to the copying of heterospecific songs, therefore allowing some level of hybridization and introgression.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

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Allen Brain Atlas

Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.

allen-brain-atlas
neuroscienceopenDocumentation, web resources, and API references are available online.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)

ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.

abode-home-cage
behavioral-neuroscienceopenThe DataShare record exposes download links for annotations, documentation, license text, and the zipped per-snippet data directory.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

DANDI Archive for NWB datasets

DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.

dandi-nwb
electrophysiologyopenPublished Dandiset metadata and archive endpoints are available through the production DANDI API.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

International Brain Laboratory public data

The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.

ibl
behavioral-neuroscienceopenPublic sessions can be searched and loaded from the IBL public data server through ONE.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

OpenNeuro

OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.

openneuro
neuroscienceopenPublished datasets are available on demand over the internet.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record